Telescopically adjustable garment hanger



July 23,1957 WING WAH LEE 2,

TELESCOPICALLY ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 10.1955 INVENTOR. WING .n H LEE,

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TELESCOPICALLYI ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER Filed Nov. 10. 1955 2Sheets-Sheet z IN V EN TOR.

WING -W4/-/ LEE',

a 2,800,261 I Patented July 23, 1957 2,800,261 TELESCOPICALLY ADJUSTABLEGARMENT HANGER Wing Wah Lee, San Francisco, Calif. Application November10, 1955, Serial No. 546,032

3 Claims. (Cl. 223-94) far as the length of the garment supportmeansthereof is concerned, while still being adapted for manufacture atrelatively low cost. r

Another object is to provide a garment hanger of the type stated whereinthe telescopically adjustable support arms thereof are so related one toanother as to permit the same-to be relatively adjusted in alongitudinal direction within a wide range, thereby to permit use of thehanger in supporting childrens as well as adult garments, and further,in supporting garments of any size or type. f f

Still another object is to so relate the support arms as to cause thesame to be shifted longitudinally of one another through a regularlycurved common or substantially common arcuate path.

Still another object is to provide a garment which, while having thedesirable characteristics noted above in respect to the relativeadjustability of the support arms, will still be capable of constructionat a cost sufficiently low to make the same commercially feasible.

A further object is to provide for the telecopic adjustment of the armsby slidable support of the same in a guideway merging directly into thesupport means of the hanger, whereby to provide particularly greatstrength in the hanger in relation to the relatively low cost thereof.

Still another object is to provide, if desired, trousers support hooksat the ends of said guideway, with said hooks permitting the weight ofthe supported trousers to be transmitted directly to the support meansof the device, thus to relieve the garment support arms of the Weight ofthe supported trousers to the maximum extent.

Still another object is to so relate the adjustable support arms to theguideway-providing means as to hold said arms against slippage fromselected positions of adjustment, With the construction further beingadapted to permit a saving of closet space when the hanger is not in useby telescoping of the arms to their maximum extent.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the-claimsappended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views, andwherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of one form of garment hangerconstructed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of amodified construction;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure3; Y

Figure 5 is a front elevational view of a fication;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of fication;

Figure 7 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinalsection of a third modification; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line 8-8 of Figure7.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2, the garmenthanger constituting the preserit invention has been generally designatedby the reference numeral 10, and comprises a plurality of lengths ofstout, comparatively rigid Wire material.

One of said lengths is fashioned into a suspension hook 12, and at thebase of said hook is formed with a series of spirallingconvolutions 14merging at its lower end into alaterally projecting, spirally twistedguideway portion 16. At the end of said portion remote from the spirallytwisted stem of the suspension hook means, the length, of the wire has adepending extension tersecond modithe second modiminating in an upwardlyturned hook 18 faced in a direction away from the suspension hook.

Asecond length of wire, at one end, has a series of.

spiralling convolutions 20 intertwisted with convolutions 14, tocooperate therewith in providing a particularlystrong support stem ofdouble thickness.

. At the base of the stern, the second length is extended laterally andis spirally twisted to provide a guideway portion 22. This is integrallyformed, at its outer end, with a depending extension terminating in anupwardly 1' turned book 24 faced oppositely to hook 18.

hanger Theguideway portions extend 'n opposite directions from thesupport stem, and together define an elongated guideway which as shownin Figure 1 is slightly curved longitudinally'with the stem meeting theguideway substantially at the crest of the curve. I

. Slidably engaged in the guideway are the telescopically related innerend portions of arcuate support arms 26, 28 curved about a center commonto that of the guide- Way, and travelling in parallel paths within theguideway. At their outer ends, support arms 26, 28 are formed withdepending loops 30, 32 respectively, to eliminate the danger of agarment catching upon the support arms. 7

At their inner ends, the support arms are formed with eyes 34, 36respectively, the eye 34 extending downwardly and loosely receiving thearm 28, and the eye 36 extending upwardly to loosely receive arm 26. Theeyes, as will be appreciated, form abutments adapted to engage theadjacent ends of the guideway on extension of the support arms andfurther constitute abutments limiting movement of the support arms in adirection to retract the same. In the latter event, the eyes engage theloops 30, 32.

It will be seen that when the arms are extended to their maximum extent,they provide a garment hanger of substantial length adapted to supportgarments of large size. However, the arms can be retracted as necessary,to any desired extent, to shorten the length of the hanger. Thisadaptsthe hanger for use in supporting childrens garments, and also variouslight-weight garments such as blouses, dresses, and the like. Auniversally usable hanger thus results without requirement ofmanufacturing the same in difierent sizes. It is of importance, in thisregard, that the hanger is fashioned from a few lengths of wirematerial, readily assembled with one another and having an inherentlylow cost, thus to permit manufacture in quantity for sale at a pricecalculated to increase measurably the commercial feasibility of thedevice.

In Figures 3 and 4, the hanger includes a pair of wires cooperating toprovide guideway portions 38, 40

spirally twisted and extending in opposite directions along a common,gradually curving path. Guideway portions 38, 40 merge at theirouterends into depending, hookproviding extensions 42., 44 respectively,At their inner end-s, the lengths ofwire are spirally twistedtogether-as at 45 to provide a stem engageable in the axial socket 47 ofa supportingstandard 49that can project upwardly from a suitable base orother support, not shown. g

' Slidably overlapped within the guideway are the inner end portions ofarcuate support arms 46, 48' having at their innerends oppositelyprojecting eyes 50, 52 each loosely receiving the adjacent support armin the same manner as the firstform of the invention. The outer ends ofthe arms have-depending loops 54, 56, serving the same function as loops30, 32. e

As will be'notedfrom Figure 4, the spirally twisted guideway portionshave convolutions of oblong shape, receiving the telescopically relatedsupport arms. The guideway of the first form'of the invention would beof like cross section.

In Figures and 6, thereis shown a construction which permits the deviceto be made from molded plastic, sheet metal, or the like. In this form,there is a molded suspensien hook 58 having a flaring stem integral withthe midlength'portion of an arcuate, open-ended sleeve 60 providing aguideway. Integral with and depending from the ends of the sleeve areopposively facing hooks 62, 64. Medially between itsends, the sleeve hasan arcuate downwardly openingrecess 66.

Slidably engaged against'the wall of" the sleeve is the inner endportion of a support arm 68, having adjacentits extremity a dependinglug 70'adapted to bear against the adjacent end of sleeve 60 to limitmovement of'arm 68in a direction to extend the same. A second supportarm 72is telescopically slidable within the arm 68, and has at its.inner end a depending lug 74 projecting through a longitudinal,downwardly opening guide slot 76 of the arm 68.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 7 and 8, there is againillustrated ajconstruction adapting the invention for manufacture fromsuch materials as molded plastic, metal, etc. In this form there is anupwardly projecting, tapering standard'integral or otherwise rigid atits. other end with a flat base plate. The standard has beendesignated'at 80, and is integral at its upper end with the midlengthpart of a sleeve 82 having an arcuate, upwardly faced recess 84 mediallybetween its ends. The sleeve provides a guideway for telescopicallyrelated garment support arms curved with the sleeve about a commoncenter. The outer or first arm 86 slidably bears against the sleeve, andreceives the inner or second arm 88. A depending lug 90 on arm 86 servesthe same purpose as lug 70, while a lug 92 of arm 88 is guided in alongitudinal, downwardly facing slot 94 of arm 86.

If desired, the hooks 18, 24, and the analogous hooks of themodifications of Figures 3-6 can be eliminated.

These hooks when provided, serve to support trousers, and

it will be noted that they are so designed and arranged relative to theguideway and support means of the device that the weight of the trouserswill be borne in large part by said support means and by the guideway.

It is believed apparent that the invention is, not necessarily confinedto the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may beutilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the inventionto be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated anddescribed, since such construction is only intended to be r 4'illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the inventioncomprehends any minor change in construction that may be permittedwithin the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment hanger comprising first and second lengths of wire materialspirally intertwisted at one end to form a support stem, the other endportions of said first and second lengths-projecting laterally inopposite directions from said stem and being respectively spirallytwisted to form an elongated, arcuate open-ended guideway; and third andfourth lengths of wire material each formed as an elongated garmentsupport arm, said last named lengths being slidably overlapped at theirinner ends and being slidablyengaged in the guideway, the outer ends ofsaid last named lengths projecting beyond the respective ends of theguideway and being disposable selected distances apart in respect torelative slidable adjustment of the arms within the guideway.

2. A garment hanger comprising first and second lengths of wire materialspirally intertwisted at one end to form a supportstem, the other endportions of said first and second lengths projecting laterally inopposite directions from said stem and being respectively spirallytwisted to form an elongated, arcuate operrcnded guide,- way; and thirdand fourth lengths of wire material each formed as an elongated garmentsupport arm, said last named lengths being slidably overlapped at theirinner ends and being slidably engaged in the guideway, the outer ends ofsaidlast named lengths projecting beyond the respective' ends of theguideway and being disposable selected distances apart in respect torelative slidable adjustment of the arms within the guideway, the armsat their inner'ends' having eyes with the eye of each arm looselyreceiving the other. arm. I

3. A garment hanger comprising first and second lengths of wire materialspirally intertwisted at one end to form a support stem, the other endportions of said first and second lengths projecting laterally inopposite directions from said stern and being respectively spirallytwisted toform an elongated, arcuate open-ended guideway; and third andfourth lengths of wire material each formed as an elongated garmentsupport arm, said last named lengths being slidably overlapped at theirinner ends and'beingslidably engaged in the guideway, the outer ends ofsaid last named lengths projecting beyond the respective ends of theguideway and being disposable selected distances apart in respect torelative slidable adjustment of the arms within the guideway, the armsat their inner ends having eyes with the eye of each arm looselyreceiving the other arm, said arms being formed with loops at theirouter ends, the eyes engaging the ends of the guideway on adjustment ofthe arms outwardly of the guideway to limit extension of the arms fromthe guideway, said eyes engaging the loops on retraction of the arms tolimit adjustment of the arms in the opposite direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 71,136Clemence Nov. 19, 1867 640,616, Broch Jan. 2, 1900 976,094 Nichols Nov.15, 1910 1,018,584 Rathbun Feb. 27 1912 1,422,782- Rattan July 11, 19222,496,561 Saunders Feb. -7, 1950 2,754,039 Pierce July 10, 19562,757,836 Niedermeyer et al. Aug. 8. 1956

